FULL REPORT HERE
Israeli forces continued to open fire at border areas in the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
A civilian vehicle was burnt because it was fired at in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
Three Palestinian protestors were wounded during al-Nabi Saleh and Kufor Qaddoum weekly protests.
Twelve Palestinian civilians, including three children, were wounded in other protests.
Israeli forces conducted 65 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and seven ones in East Jerusalem.
Sixty Palestinian civilians, including 16 child and two women, were arrested.
Twenty-seven of these civilians, including 15 children and two women, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
Israel continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.
Twelve Palestinian civilians, including eight children, were arrested at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
Israeli forces arrested a businessman at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, north of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli navy forces continued to target Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea.
Israeli navy forces continued to open fire at fishing boats, but no casualties were reported.
Israeli forces continued efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli police allowed Elad Association to seize three apartments in Selwan village .
Israeli forces attempted to evacuate a house in the old city in occupied Jerusalem for the interest of settlers.
Eight buses heading from Sour Baher village to al-Aqsa Mosque were denied access to the mosque.
Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
A residential compound for shepherds in Kherbet Mak'houl area, north of Jordan Valley, was demolished, due to which, four families comprising of 13 members became homeless.
A barrack in al-Faresiya area was demolished and two water reservoirs were seized.
A car glass was crushed as settlers threw stones at it, south of Jenin, but no casualties were reported.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (12 – 18 March 2015).
Shooting:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces wounded 15 Palestinian civilians, including three children, in the West Bank. They also continued to target Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip sea and farmers, shepherds and agricultural lands in the border area.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces wounded 15 Palestinian civilians, including three children. Three of these civilians were wounded in protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities, while the other 12 ones were wounded in protests against the Israeli policies applied in oPt.
Israeli forces continued the use of excessive and systematic force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international solidarity activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, three protestors were wounded, two of whom were wounded in Kufor Qaddoum's protest, northeast of Qalqilya.
In the same context, 12 Palestinian civilians, including three children, were wounded during other protests organized at the western entrance of Selwad village, northeast of Ramallah, the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, and around Ofer detention facility, southwest of Ramallah.
In the Gaza Strip, in the context of opening fire at border areas, on 17 March 2015, Israeli soldiers, who stepped from 2 military vehicles along the border fence, north of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian farmers working on their lands adjacent to the border fence. About ten bullets hit a vehicle belonging to a farmer from al-Atatrah neighbourhood. As a result, the vehicle was completely burnt, but no casualties were reported.
As part of targeting fishermen in the Gaza Strip sea, on 13 March 2015, Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Sudaniya area, west of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire around Palestinian fishing boats sailing three nautical miles off the shore. The fishermen were frightened and sailed back, but neither casualties nor material damage were reported.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 65 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and seven one in East Jerusalem. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 60 Palestinians, including 16 children and two women. Twenty-seven of these Palestinians, including the 16 children and two women, were arrested in Jerusalem.
Restrictions on movement:
Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 8 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.8 million people. The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy. They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports.
Efforts to create a Jewish demographic majority in East Jerusalem
Incursions and arrests
On Sunday, 15 March 2015, Israeli forces moved into al-Eisawiya village, north of East Jerusalem. They raided a number of houses from which they arrested two civilians.
On the same day, Israeli forces arrested 3 girls and a woman, who were present around al-Selsela gate of al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city.
On Monday, 16 March 2015, Israeli forces moved into al-Eisawiya village, north of East Jerusalem. They raided and searched a number of houses from which they arrested four civilians, including three children.
On the same day, Israeli forces moved into Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, east of the old city. They raided and searched a number of houses from which they arrested three children.
On Tuesday, 17 March 2015, Israeli forces arrested a woman and three young men while being present in the yard of al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city under the pretext of participating in riots.
On the same day, Israeli forces arrested Mahdi Hatem Abu Asab (11), while he was present in al-Qarmi neighborhood, in the old city.
On Wednesday, 18 March 2015, Israeli forces moved into Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of East Jerusalem. They raided and searched a number of houses from which they arrested three civilians, including a child.
On the same day, Israeli forces raided a house belonging to Mohammed Darweesh in al-Eisawiya village, north of East Jerusalem. They searched the house and arrested his son Khaled (17).
On the same day, Israeli forces moved into al-Thawri neighborhood, south of East Jerusalem. They raided and searched a number of houses from which they arrested two civilians, including a child.
On the same day, Israeli forces moved into Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, east of the old city. They raided and searched a number of houses from which they arrested two children.
Also on the same day, Israeli forces arrested Jawad Siyam (42), director of the Information Center of Wadi Helwa, in Selwan village, south of the old city.
Settler attacks in the city:
On Friday, 13 March 2015, 2 settlers attacked Ahmed Mohammed Essa Abu Ta'ah (19) when he was in al-Masharef Mount area "the French Hill", north of the old city. As a result, he sustained wounds in the face and bruises in the neck.
At approximately 09:00 on Monday, 16 March 2015, Israeli forces surrounded a house belonging to Sab Laban family house in Aqabet al-Khalidiya in the old city. They tried to evacuate the house for the interest of settlers. Israeli forces brought demolition tools to burst out the door and force the family get out of the house. The family lawyer intervened and obtained an order to delay the evacuation.
On Wednesday, 18 March 2015, Israeli Elad Association seized by forgery a building belonging to al-Malehi family and two tracts of land in Wadi Helwa neighborhood, south of the old city.
In the same context, under the protection of Israeli forces, dozens of armed settlers seized a 500-square-meter tract of land belonging to al-Abasi family in Wadi Helwa neighborhood and established tin-made rooms on it. They also seized a 1,200-square-meter tract of land belonging to Sh'aban family in the same neighborhood. They cleaned the land and placed a caravan on it.
Restrictions on movement in the city
On Sunday morning, 15 March 2015, Israeli police denied eight buses from Sour Baher, south of East Jerusalem, access to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Settlement activities and attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and property
On 16 March 2015, Israeli forces noticed Qana Valley farmers, northwest of Salfit, that they would uproot 240 olive trees aged six years from the lands of al-Tanour lands belonging to Hasan Mustafa Mansour, Mohammed 'Abdel Fattah Zidan and Ahmed Khalil Mansour from the village. They gave the farmers 48 hours to remove the trees starting from 15 March 2015 and threatened either to uproot the trees or to subject the three aforementioned farmers to trial, harm and detention.
On 18 March 2015, Israeli forces backed by three bulldozers moved into Kherbet Makhoul area in the Northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas. The Israeli bulldozers immediately levelled a residential compound for Palestinian shepherds.
Israeli forces then headed to the nearby al-Hadideyah area, and their bulldozers levelled 60-square-meter barrack belonging to Ahmed 'Abdullah Hafez Bani 'Odah. They then went to al-Farisiyah area and confiscated two water tanks of a capacity of 12 cubic meters.
At approximately 10:00 on the Wednesday, Israeli forces moved into al-Thaheriyah village, south of Hebron. They stationed in Ma'ala Valley area in the southeast of the village and then cut down ten almond trees and cactus seedlings in addition to confiscating them. The Civil Administration officer who accompanied the Israeli soldiers sprayed chemicals at the rest of the tree stalks in the land.
On Friday, 13 March 2015, settlers gathered on the main road between Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus near the entrance of Silet al-Thaher village, south of Jenin. The settlers fired in the air and threw stones at the passing Palestinian vehicles traveling on the aforementioned road.
On Tuesday, 17 March 2015, Israeli settlers gathered on the main road between Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus near the entrance of Silet al-Thaher village, south of Jenin. The settlers threw stones at the passing Palestinian vehicles traveling on the aforementioned road.
Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Um al-Rayhan village, which has been isolated from its surroundings by the annexation wall, southwest of Jenin. They levelled vacant lands in the vicinity of a barrack used to manufacture marble.
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